Peter David has teased as to what fans can expect from his upcoming X-Factor arc, featuring guest appearances from Spider-Man and the Black Cat.

The arc, which began last week with X-Factor #216, follows a recent trend on the title, featuring a wider range of characters from the Marvel Universe.

"Originally X-Factor's mission statement was to cater to the concerns of the Marvel Universe's mutants, particularly Mutant Town," David told Newsarama, when asked about the book's change of focus. "Now the team has moved on to what they feel is a true realisation of Xavier's dream: that mutants are peacefully co-existing with humans.

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"The best way to do that is for the team to specialise in cases that stem from the needs of the various denizens of the Marvel Universe," the writer explained.

David, who wrote Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man between between 2005 and 2007, admitted that though he is happy to be writing Peter Parker again, he was more interested in bringing Black Cat to the title.

"Actually using Felicia stemmed from the nature of the story," David revealed. "She winds up being drawn into the middle of it."

X-Factor has seen a number of cast changes over the past few months, with Wolfsbane returning to the team, Darwin leaving temporarily, and even oddball character Pip the Troll signing up as their receptionist.